Let’s face it, it’s hard to come up with good names for your kids. You might go out of your way to give your child a unique name only to have 5 other kids with the same name in his or her kindergarten class. A few years ago, no one would have said Isabella was common but now the playground is teeming with Bellas and Ellas. Isabella (or a version thereof) is the new Jennifer and Ava is the new Stephanie…

The trick is to come up with a name everyone involved is happy with, that isn’t too common -but that is also easy to pronounce and spell. My own pet peeve is ‘unique’ spellings of common names – the Jenyfurs, etc –  I’ve always thought it just makes it look like your parents can’t spell. Is your child really going to thank you after the thousandth time they’ve had to correct the spelling of their name? 

Celebrities seem to be be very challenged in this area – I guess their approach is different because they know that little “Rebel” or “Free” will never have to put their name on a resume or seek employment in the real world. A world where studies have shown that any name that is too hard to pronounce, or even just too ethnic – means less interviews… 

Well, here at Celebrity Icing we like to celebrate our favorites, so rather than making fun of all the goofy names selected for celebrity spawn we thought we’d spend some time featuring some of the names we like!

Beckett is the bee’s knees

Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher named their son Beckett and their daughter Bailey (presumably before Grey’s Anatomy went on the air…). The name Beckett means ‘Bee Cottage’ which is rather cute and inspires one to all sorts of nursery room decorating ideas. Beckett may have been named after the famous Irish writer or (and I hope it’s this one) Scott Bakula’s character from Quantum Leap. What child wouldn’t want to be named after the mysterious and adorable time traveler?

Coco is classy yet cute 

Courteney Cox Arquette  and David Arquette named their daughter Coco (rumor: after Courtney Cox). This name meets all of my criteria: if you see it in writing, you immediately know how to pronounce it – yet, at the same time, it’s very rare. According to thinkbabynames.com it is originally from Spain and is the short form of Soccoro (which means ‘lover of soccer’? no, just kidding…). It is cute, yet with a classy hint of Coco Chanel. My only fear would be that people might not take my daughter seriously – but that won’t be a problem if she turns out to be funny like her dad or a strong personality like her mom… 

Tallulah springs to mind

Bruce Willis and Demi More AND Simon LeBon and Yasmin Parvaneh both named a daughter Tallulah. This name means “leaping waters” in the Choctaw language (behindthename.com) or “jumping water” (babynamewizard.com). There is a waterfall named Tallulah in Georgia, where famous Tallulah Bankhead came from. It’s a beautiful sounding name and very rare. According to the namevoyager at babynamewizard.com – it’s never been in the top 1,000 names in any decade on record. (In contrast, Gertrude was ranked #24 in the 1890′s and Isabella was #2 in 2007.)  Tallulah Bankhead was actually notorious for her promiscuous behavior, boozing, drugging, and is actually thought to be the inspiration for 101 Dalmation’s Cruella Deville so I’m going with the idea that these children were named after the waterfall! Then again, so many parents named their daughters “Paris” in 2004, that it is ranked #156 in popularity – so nothing can surprise me anymore… yuck… 

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The second week in a new Celebrity Icing series about Star Signs, Style, and – of course – our favorite Stars! 

TAURUS STAR STYLE: NORA EPHRON

 

Nora Ephron spent her earliest childhood in the Upper West Side of New York City so it’s not surprising that, like most Taureans, her calm and coolness might be mistaken for snobbery. 

Generally the Taurus personality is one that is known for its steadiness of character, it’s calmness in the face of obstacles,and it’s steadfast nature. 

N0ra Ephron, successful as a writer and a filmmaker, has rightfully earned respect and accolades for her work. She wrote the scripts to the successful films Silkwood, Heartburn, and When Harry Met Sally. She hit success as a director in 1993, with Sleepless in Seattle. Her 2006 Collection of Essays was on the NY Times bestseller list in 2006. 

If you were lucky enough to be born between April 20th and May 20th then you are a Taurus – destiny made me a huge fan of this star sign: my husband, my daughter, and one of my very best friends is  a Taurus. So is my sister-in-law and she is one of the women that I truly admire – she’s classy, cool, and kind – and she’s the type of mom that I aspire to be.

Classic Yellow Gold, Timeless Styles

And, while we’re on the topic of When Harry Met Sally – here is a funny version of the trailer recut as if it was actually a Horror! 

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What kind of earrings suit your hair, your face, your personality?

Chandelier Earrings

Or, as I’ve always called them, dangly earrings – look great if you have your long hair up, like Jennifer Lopez does below.

The earrings she’s wearing fit right in with her dress to give her an overall look that says glamour gal all the way. She looks like she’s having a great time, too, and sincere laughter is always the best accessory!

They also work well if you have longer hair that might hide a smaller pair of earrings (and then, what’s the point?)

Marilyn Monroe, oops I mean, Drew Barrymore looks positively naughty here with her tousled hair, disheveled-looking dress and kittenish smirk. The earrings complete the look perfectly. Long earrings also lengthen her round face and big hair so that she doesn’t end up looking like the mother-in-law from Everybody Loves Raymond.

Studs

Small earrings will work with long hair if the ears are visible.

Also, you don’t want to over-accessorize: if you are wearing a big necklace you probably shouldn’t wear big earrings, too. The picture of Cate Blanchett (below) is a perfect example. I’m not a big fan of the necklace choice but it does sort of suit her and that’s the point after all – jewelry should express your personality.

Hoop Earrings

Hoop earrings are a great, young look – as seen here on Hilary Duff and Rhianna. They work well with long hair (pulled back) as well as very short hair. Avoid wearing large hoop earrings if you aren’t as fresh-faced as these girls, unless you are working out of a tent at the local carnival telling fortunes, of course…

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